Man suspected in trolley shooting arrested

SAN DIEGO – Police think an 18-year-old man arrested Wednesday is responsible for robbing and shooting a security guard, robbing a second and assaulting another guard at trolley stations in San Diego and La Mesa.

Marquise Loftis was taken into custody about 12:30 a.m. not far from his Oak Park home, San Diego police said.

Detectives with San Diego and La Mesa police were surveilling Loftis after receiving information that linked the man to the crimes, La Mesa Lt. David Bond said. When he got into a vehicle and drove off, officers pulled it over on 54th Street, near Pirotte Drive, and took him into custody, said San Diego police Sgt. Ray Battrick.

Loftis surrendered without incident, Battrick said. The driver of the vehicle was detained and later released.

Officers, who had already obtained a search warrant, combed through the teen's home looking for evidence, Bond said. He declined to say what, if anything, was found. The lieutenant said they are still searching for the weapons stolen from the guards.

Mónica Muñoz, a San Diego police spokeswoman, declined comment about Loftis' motive for the crimes: “We're not releasing it,” she said.

Loftis was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, two robberies, assault causing serious bodily injury, and making death threats. He was being held without bail and was set to be arraigned Friday at 1:30 p.m., jail records show.

The teenager is suspected in the shooting of a Metropolitan Transit System security guard at the Grossmont Trolley Station about 10:15 p.m. Saturday, police said. The shooter's description matched that of a man who robbed another security guard July 15 and in an assault on Monday.

During Saturday's shooting, the gunman walked up to the uniformed guard, and said something to him like “put your hands up”, Bond said.

When the guard complied, he shot him once with a semi-automatic handgun and then shot him again either as he was going down or was already on the ground, the lieutenant said.

The shooter ran off, came back and took the guard's gun and two magazines from his belt, Bond said.

He then ran up the stairs toward the nearby Grossmont Center.

Officers searched the area with police dogs and a helicopter, but he eluded capture.

The wounded guard was treated at a hospital and released on Sunday.

“He is not back to work yet, but is on the mend,” Bond said. He declined to say where the guard was shot, but the lieutenant believed the gunman aimed to kill the guard.

On July 15, a man armed with a long-barreled handgun approached two security guards patrolling the 62nd Street Trolley Station on Akins Drive about 6:30 p.m. He pointed his weapon at them and took a gun and a magazine.

Police also believe that Loftis was involved in an assault about 7:15 p.m. Monday at the same trolley station.

MTS spokeswoman Judy Leitner said a man was taunting guards with physical gestures while standing near the station platform. He then came onto the platform and some sort of confrontation with a guard occurred.

Muñoz said the man hit the security guard before running away.

“We're pretty confident right now this suspect is the one who did the crimes,” Bond said.

Paul Jablonski, chief executive of MTS, said he was happy to hear about the arrest, but did not know what prompted the shooting and robberies.

He noted that his staff has increased security to help keep riders safe, and reiterated what other officials said Monday: that trolley security staff, not passengers, had been targeted. He added he thinks the system is very safe.

Jablonski referred to a report released last spring about crime on the trolley and bus system from 2006 to 2008. It concluded that the trolley's serious crime rate was the lowest of six light rail lines in California, Colorado and Utah.

It showed .63 serious crimes reported per 100,000 passengers on the San Diego Trolley, for example, slightly less than reported by a similar line in Denver, and less than half of the rates reported in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

“I'm not absolutely sure that it was one individual involved,” Jablonksi said. “However, I am absolutely sure that police in a number of jurisdictions are treating the crimes very seriously.”

Jablonski said his staff was unable Wednesday to say how many violent crimes had been reported this year on trolley property, but said they would find the data and release it soon.

“The vast majority of them have been robberies, mostly of iPods and cell phones,” Jablonski said. “And vandalism is up this year: we've got a lot more cases of graffiti and etchings.”

He stressed that the shooting and robberies during the past week have been very unusual and marked the first time in 30 years that a trolley security guard had been shot.

“These cases are very very unusual,” Jablonski said, but I don't think they were targeting the riders themselves. We've stepped up security, in some cases doubling the number of guards at stations and will continue to do that until all individuals (involved) have been apprehended.”

“I hope that if anyone sees anything suspicious that they will report it,” Jablonski said. “I believe our system to be very safe.”

Two passengers praised the line's security as they waited for rides at the 12th and Imperial Trolley Station.

Ramon Colmenero , 54, an electrician from Spring Valley who said he rides the line a lot, said his son used to be a trolley security guard.

“When they posted the guards at the trolley stations,” Colmenero said, “that made a big difference,” he said.

James Crawford, a 66-year-old Imperial Beach resident, said he's been riding the trolley for about five years and feels very safe.

“I think the security issue is: it could happen anywhere. I don't think it has anything to do with the trolley. I've never had a problem.”

The 53-mile light-rail line has 53 stations and is monitored by 130 security guards, including 80 who are armed, trolley officials said.

Gang detectives were also involved in the investigation leading to Loftis arrest, but police have declined to say if the crimes were gang related.

La Mesa police are still looking for witnesses to the crimes and ask them to call (619) 469-6111.